In Tunisia, due to recent changes in the banking laws it is virtually impossible to wire money abroad from there and you cannot change Tunisian dinars to any other currency.

Tunisian law permits only foreign residence who have resided there for a full year to wire out money via their personal bank account. Even if you have an account set up specifically to wire money home or anywhere outside of Tunisia it is against the law for the bank to allow you to make a wire transfer abroad.

Western Union and Moneygram have offices here, but only deal with money coming into the country. It is illegal to wire any amount of money out of Tunisia.

It takes about six weeks and sponsorship to get a temporary foreign residence identification card. You may open a bank account with an option to make wire transfers abroad. However only your employer can deposit money into this account. As stated above, you may only transfer money abroad one full year after receiving your permanent foreign residence identification card, but you may not get that until four months after receiving your temporary foreign residence identification card. Hence it could be 16 months or more before you can send money even to your own account abroad. Paypal and suchlike services do not function from Tunisia

Furthermore, no bank, currency exchange dealer or hotel will change dinar back into any kind of foreign currency whatsoever. It is against the law. So if you want to take a holiday outside Tunisia during your stay you will have to draw on your savings in a bank outside of Tunisia, if you have such.

They will tell you that you may exchange dinar at the airport upon your departure and by showing your air ticket out. However this is a falsehood. The currency exchange banks at the international airports in Tunisia will refuse to accept your dinar.

Please consider this warning before entering Tunisia, especially to work.

The same thing with the banks will happen soon in Morocco, Egypt and other North African countries. What see see is s very disturbing trend here..it is becoming increasingly illegal to earn, hold or convert money into other currencies as an English teacher abroad. Volunteering and offering free English lessons seems to be the way of the future...

Such laws are aimed at money launderers, foreign-based drug dealers and embezzlers. The people who make such laws never even think of English teachers earning $1200 or less a month in a place like Tunis. We're below the radar.

Once upon a time "Exchange Control" was widespread in Developing Countries. Typically employees were allowed to remit 33 percent of earnings but had to apply for permission through the Central Bank. Those days are coming back to the world's weaker economies.

Exchange control applies to everyone...foreigners (including ESL teachers) are no exception. Recently several of my colleagues were pulled over and searched at Casablanca's customs upon arrival in Morocco. They were carrying only a few hundred dollars in cash...and were told to declare it or it will be taken away from them!

Control, or 33% only is one thing, in Tunisia today we're talking all out blockade. Thirty three percent of earnings would be workable, in Tunisia you can exchange to nothing once you have dinars, you cannot transfer any amount from your own personal account. And don't forget, only your employer can deposit money into your account. If you come by some windfall, you best hide it under the floorboards.

Also note: Even if you want to use an ATM you must visit the bank and have them transfer some funds to your special ATM account. You cannot withdraw directly from your own personal account.

It is becoming increasingly common for people to be searched for money in their belongings at airports in Casablanca, Tunis, and in Cairo. Pretty soon they (the customs authorities) will make it next to impossible for EFL teachers to travel between countries with any money at all. It is apparent to me why this is happening....this is a sad reality of the times..if you need money travel only with a debit or ATM card

Country warnings regarding traveling and carryng any money with you at all in person should actually be out for ALL countries in North Africa..that is Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Again your best bet is to carry only a credit or debit card with you when traveling...or as an ESL teacher you might end up with NOTHING at all!

This was close to the situation when I was in Egypt in the mid-80s. It was for purely economic reasons. Imports have to be paid with foreign currency - like much of the food and refined petrol. With the current unrest, it means that there is little or no foreign investment and/or foreign currency coming in... so every source is being used.

What it did in Egypt was make a strong and thriving Black Market. They regularly tried to control them, but it ebbed and flowed as to whether people like lowly TEFL teachers could access foreign currency for travel or not.

This situation will likely continue until the political situation gets more stable. The first relaxation will come when they notice that it affects tourism. Other than Libya, tourism is/was a major foreign currency producer, so they don't want to kill the golden goose.

Another problem is that these new governments haven't a clue what they are doing... passing half-assed laws that will have repercussions that they haven't figured out yet.